With the recent introduction of HR 4789, I think it's important that we can all reiterate the importance of an alternative to private insurance in a coherent well framed way. So here are a few talking points I think are worth mentioning.
- We Already pay for Medicare, 1.45% of our gross wages.
- Medicare has 1/6 the overhead of most private insurance. Meaning that more of Your money goes to Your care rather than subsidizing hundred-million dollar bonuses for insurance executives.
(A little math here, 100 million dollars would pay the premiums for 12500 people)
- Medicare is asking us to subsidize the most expensive subset of our population for 40 years prior to receiving any benefits for ourselves. While forcing us to pay for our own care in an outside system with no guarantees that coverage will be there when we need it.
- Contrary to the oft spouted conservative plank, the United States Constitution expressly mandates "Promoting The Public Welfare". Medicare for all is not an entitlement, it is a basic right mandated by the constitution. Right there in the Preamble, just after providing for the common defence and right before securing the blessings of Liberty. To suggest HR 4789 is anything but our basic patriotic duty as Americans is beyond question.
- If you already pay for insurance this simply moves the line on your budget from a separate payment to your provider to the same Medicare tax you already pay, in all likelihood reducing the overall amount deducted from your gross pay. Simply, you get more money in your check.
In short, we want access to the programs we all pay for.